Xulu XR1 Pro with standard USB flash drive for scaling. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Nanocomputers are a very important part of the technology picture. You probably have a desk with very limited space. Or maybe you want to create a kiosk where you need to hide the computer from view. You might even want to have a “community” PC in your home (or maybe your Airbnb) where guests can go online and do what they need to do.
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Whatever the need, these tiny PCs are here to serve. I’ve used many small PCs and most of what I’ve used pales in comparison to Xulu XR1 Pro. This device is not only the smallest of the tiny PCs I’ve tried, but it’s also the most powerful.
The device itself is 3.5 x 3.5 inches and just 2.5 inches tall, making it the smallest AMD Ryzen 7 PC ever built. Yes, it’s very small. But it also offers six USB ports, one USB Type C port, two HDMI ports, and a headphone jack.
specifications
Of course, you’re probably wondering what the full specs are. Here is the list:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8 cores/16 threads.
- GPU: Radeon8.
- Combines speaker/mic jacks with built-in dual mics.
- RAM: Up to 64 GB (mine has 16 GB), upgradable.
- Storage: Up to 2 TB M.2 SSD (mine has 512 GB), also upgradable.
- High volume turbine fan.
- Display OLED status.
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6e, gigabit ethernet and Bluetooth 5.2.
- HDMI cable and power cable are included.
My Xulu XR1 ships with Windows 7, but the hardware also supports Linux, so you can install any distro you want. My usual inclination is to install Linux right away, but I chose to see how this machine would power a resource-hungry like Windows 11.
There are a lot of ports on the back (there are more ports on the front). Jack Wallen/ZDNET
I was surprised. I expected the Xulu XR1 Pro to struggle under the weight of Windows 11, but it turns out the machine has plenty of power to do so. While I’m not a fan of the Windows operating system, I’m still impressed with how well it performs on such a small device. I’m used to how well Linux runs on small PCs, but my Windows experience with these tends to be disappointing.
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So imagine how well the XR1 will work with Ubuntu or Mint Linux. My goal was to test that theory, so I plugged in a USB drive with Ubuntu doll, go to the boot menu, select the USB drive as the primary boot device, and boot into Ubuntu Budgie. As a result, the Xulu XR1 Pro performs almost as well as my regular desktop, the System76 Thelio. My main desktop has the advantage of 32 GB of RAM, so it’s not exactly a bold comparison. Even so, the XR1 Pro did a remarkable job running the live version of Linux.
This tiny machine is ideal for work, play, school or even gaming. The best thing about these tiny form factor PCs is that they can be installed anywhere. And even though the XR1 Pro has a high-volume fan, I never heard it run. I could feel it spinning and the air moving, but the sound was so low that I had to get really close to hear the fan.
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As for pricing, the Xulu XR1 Pro will start at around $299 and peak around $399. So this tiny machine not only exceeds its weight but also at a price point that makes it even more appealing. Having an AMD Ryzen 7 desktop at that price is a bargain…no matter the size.
Although I don’t expect the tiny form factor PC to replace the standard desktop or laptop market, these small devices certainly serve a number of purposes and work very well.
